In game two the Leopards’ offense was welcomed but unnecessary as freshman pitcher Brittney Flores threw four innings of hitless ball and struck out three.

The Athenas did not get their first hit until the bottom of the fifth inning, when they scored two runs, which cut La Verne’s lead to only one run.

“I was just concentrating on hitting my spots,” Flores said. “But I knew my defense would help me out of it.”

In the sixth inning both teams went scoreless, but in the top half of the seventh La Verne stepped up to the plate and put the Athenas away, scoring five runs in the inning and never looked back.

Senior outfielder Melissa Carlson and Paul led off the inning by getting on base after both being hit by pitches.

Then an infield hit by Burns scored Carlson and advanced Paul to third base.

A wild pitch by Claremont-M-S pitcher Amanda Banducci led to one more run. A walk to Allis put two women on base and brought up second baseman Lissa Ishihara.

In the previous game La Verne had plenty of opportunities to score, but did not capitalize on them. This time Ishihara made sure she brought in runs for her team, as she hit a three run home run to left field, sealing the win for the Leopards with a final score of 8-2.

“Her hit was huge,” Flores said. “It turned the momentum around.”

The La Verne crowd at Athena Field, as well as her teammates, cheered as Ishihara touched home plate.

“The win was big,” Flores added. “We really wanted to beat them.”

The Leopards will continue to finish out the season as they play a doubleheader with the Whittier Poets today at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Then to close out the SCIAC schedule La Verne will play the Occidental Tigers in a home doubleheader on Sunday starting at noon.

Results of these two games will determine the fate of postseason hopes for the softball team.